Before the Begining
by SqueeGurl
Summary: Rating Subject to change! ::AU::
1. Begining

Disclaimer: Kakashi and all related Naruto characters are not mine. I do not claim them in any way, shape, or form. The only character I claim is Kani. I made her up, she's mine. No touchies. Anyways...yeah, on with the story._****_

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_**Chapter One: Beginning**_

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The students of the Hidden Leaf Village had just completed their final task, and everyone succeeded. It was now time to assign groups and every one sat in silence waiting for Sensei Souko to give out their groups.  
  
"Kakashi, Iruka, and Kani, you will be group one." Sensei started with the two boys closest to the front and a girl sitting off in the back. The boys high-fived each other and the girl didn't look too happy.  
  
"What do you think her problem is? She's always so quiet in class and well...downright mean during sparring." Iruka asked Kakashi. They were no longer paying attention to Sensei. He was done with them so why bother?  
  
"No family." Kakashi said simply as he glanced over his shoulder at her. He knew that her parents were among the many killed by Kyubi. She wasn't so different from Iruka, but the ebon haired boy dealt with his loss differently. Rather than hide from attention like Kani, he seeked it, thrived off it. Kakashi had known her before Kyubi attacked the village. They actually lived pretty close to each other, but she was living with a mean old woman now, didn't like children so why she volunteered to take Kani was a mystery.  
  
Iruka looked too. She was pretty, for a girl. Iruka was still at that age where he'd rather play pranks than flirt with girls like Kashi.  
  
Kani looked up when her name was called and nodded before returning her gaze to the window on the far wall. Her hair was pulled up into a tight pony tail with a few strands of black framing her face. Blue eyes started unfocused outside, watching birds. She wore the Shinobi sandals that all Genins wore, a pair of black long shorts and a black tank top covered by a deep blue vest. She also had a kunai pouch resting on her right hip.

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Name after name was called before Sensei dismissed the class, telling them they had the rest of the day free and were to meet up with their Team Leaders at seven am sharp at the designated places.  
  
Iruka and Kakashi dawdled and waited for Kani. Iruka was the first to speak.  
  
"C'mon, let's hit the Ramen shop. My treat?" He said with a wide grin to his team mates.  
  
Kakashi grinned and nodded, thumping Iruka soundly on the back.  
  
Kani nodded slightly, "Okay." She didn't say much, and that was the first time the two boys had ever actually heard her speak more than the standard spar shout.  
  
Kakashi rested his arm on her shoulder and she looked at him strangely, almost as if she were surprised and frightened at the contact between the two. He grinned at her, one eye showing, the other covered by his forehead protector. A look he had already perfected.  
  
The three made their way through the streets and to the ramen shop where one of the other teams was already eating. They took the stools on the far end. Iruka on the end, Kani in the middle, and Kakashi on her other side. Kani said little as Iruka ordered three ramen and a pitcher of juice for the three to share.  
  
Kani stared at her bowl a minute before slowly eating. The boys however, they ate huge bites, grinned, and talked while they ate. The girl, however, remained silent. A nod or a shake of her head was all the participation the rest of her team received from her. It was enough, for the time being. Already, Iruka and Kakashi were devising a plan to get her to open up and talk to them. They were, after all, the closest thing that she'll have to a family for quite some time. 


	2. Teamwork

**Disclaimer**: Kakashi and all related Naruto characters are not mine. I do not claim them in any way, shape, or form. The only Character I claim is Kani. I made her up, she's mine. No touchies. Anyways...yeah, on with the story.

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**_Chapter Two: Teamwork_**

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The walk home was a quiet one. The boys exchanged glances but said not a word. Kani seemed to be in a sort of trance, walking, just walking to the house in which she stayed. Not a word or sound came from her and it was beginning to confuse the two boys. What on earth could she be thinking about that she had to remain so eerily silent?  
  
Iruka caught Kakashi's attention and nodded to Kani._ Do something_.  
  
Kakashi rolled his visible eye and slowed his pace till Kani caught up, "You want us to walk you home? Or we can go and spar in the park...or hit the book shop, or we can visit the Hokage...?" Kakashi offered several ideas, none of which seemed to snag her attention.  
  
"If you don't like us, just say so instead of ignoring us. It's pretty rude." Iruka said. He was clearly getting irritated.  
  
Kakashi shot him a dirty look but Kani spoke.  
  
"I'm not ignoring either of you. I think you're the ones who don't like me." She said and stopped walking with them. Instead she ran off towards the park.  
  
"Okay, so we're going to the park." Kakashi grabbed Iruka's arm, "C'mon!" he practically dragged him there.

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"Damnit Kashi, lemme go!" Iruka shouted. Kakashi had maintained a tight grip on his friends arm and dragged him all the way to the center of the park.  
  
Almost at once, Kakashi released him and looked around at the trees, "She's hiding here somewhere. We should find her."  
  
"Give me one good reason." Iruka said with his arms crossed, "She's stuck up and stupid."  
  
"Oi! Baka! You and her are alike!' Kakashi said as he rounded on Iruka.  
  
The shorter boy flinched and looked at Kakashi questioningly, "Alike? How so?"  
  
Kakashi cuffed him over the head, "_Dobe_, think back two years, the biggest devastating thing to ever happen to Konoha Village, ever. It affected you the same way as her." Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed, "_Kitsune_."  
  
"Oh...OH!" Iruka finally understood. So that's why the girl was so distant.  
  
Kakashi rolled his eye again, sometimes Iruka could be so slow, "Are we going to look for her, or do I have to call you _dobe_ again?" He asked with a playful shove before he jumped into a nearby tree.  
  
"Kashi! You bastard!" Iruka called after him as he followed him into the trees.

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Kani watched the two silently from her perch in a large cherry blossom tree near the center of the park. She was slightly surprised that they had come looking for her, but even more so that they hadn't found her yet. Kakashi was top of the class, and Iruka was close behind. Maybe they were fooling around, killing time until they figured it was time to find her. She didn't mind. She kept her eye on Iruka for a bit until she realized she couldn't spot Kakashi...where did he go?  
  
"Enjoying yourself, Kani-chan?" A voice asked from directly above her. She looked up startled, and almost fell out of the tree. Kakashi was perched on the branch right above her also watching Iruka search for the both of them.  
  
"Not really." She grunted in response. How did he manage to get that close to her and she didn't even hear, or sense him?  
  
"That's a shame. We're out here to have fun, ne?" He asked with a smile as he looked down to her.  
  
She shrugged and continued to watch Iruka in silence.  
  
"KASHI! Where did you go you bastard! Come out!" Iruka stood in the middle of the park, fists on his hips and he looked livid.  
  
"Oi! Up here!" Kakashi called back to him, waving from the tree.  
  
Iruka spotted his movements and made his way quickly to the tree, "Hey what are you..." He trailed off as he spotted Kani sitting silently on the branch below his friend, "Ah. You found her then."  
  
"'Course I did. I'm the great Kakashi!" He said boastfully and flashed him a 'V' for victory.  
  
"Great Kakashi? Uh...riiiight." Iruka rolled his eyes and jumped up and sat on the same branch as Kani, "Why'd you run off like that? We don't hate you. Do we Kashi?"  
  
Kakashi leaned over and hung upside down off the branch to look at them, "Nope. You're a cool person Kani-chan. We'll make a great team."  
  
Kani looked at them both with a hint of a smile on her face, "Yeah, I think we will." 


End file.
